Unexpected Lover
by Edward Lover for Life
Summary: While waiting for her wedding day, Bella must survive school at Forks Community College. But will a fellow student want more than just a friendship? Chapter 5 Rewritten and Chapter 7 up!
1. You Know What I Am

**A/N**: I have always been the reader, never the writer when it came to Fan Fiction. Everyone's ideas are so original and well written that I was hesitant at the fact of writing my own. Last night as I was falling asleep (for a 5:30 am swim practice ugh!) when I thought of this story. I knew that I just had to write it down. At first it was going to be for my own pleasure, but I thought, what the heck, why don't I see if other people like it? So, read and review.

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Twilight or New Moon because those rights belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do, on the other hand, own Andrew. He's mine. Got it? ( :

Another day. Another day of being human. But, at least now I had something to look forward to, something to live for.

I had stubbornly turned down Carlisle's offer to change me into a vampire the night after my graduation. I had been fully ready to be changed, to be one of them and then…. Edward proposed. And I mean formally proposed.

After he received our diplomas we snuck away secretly to our meadow. The moon was the only light that filled the pitch black sky. About fifteen dozen roses lay scattered around a checkered picnic blanket covered with throw pillows and blankets.

We sat there together, with my head in his lap, for hours, enjoying the silence and serenity of the night.

All of a sudden, he whispered "I love you, forever and for always."

I didn't have time to respond because at vampire speed he was handing me a red box. I opened it, displaying a diamond ring with sapphires on either side.

"Will you marry me?" was all he needed to say.

I knew that Charlie and Renee would not approve of my decision, but I loved Edward and I wanted to be with him. I needed to be with him.

And so I said, "Forever and for always."

Our wedding date was set and was being planned by Alice and Esme. Rosalie, on the other hand, had no desire in helping. She went about her business, showing no interest in the fact that I was about to marry her brother and become a vampire.

I had offered to help, but Esme always scolded me saying, "Now, you have more important things to worry about, like school young lady," but always smiling when she said it.

School. My resume for college seemed to not have meant the standards of the Ivy League colleges that Renee and Charlie had always prayed that I attend. My applications were way too late as well, leaving me with only one option. Forks Community College. My personal hell.

Being as it was already October, I had gotten used to the long, boring days that seemed to drone on forever. It was just like high school all over again, except now that I was engaged to Edward, I was living with the Cullens, not Charlie, much to his concern. He still disliked Edward much more than was necessary.

Like any other Monday, I had English Level 2 first, my least favorite class. Loved the teacher, loved the books read, hated, no despised, the fact that Edward wasn't in it.

Edward had asked for identical schedules a while back before school started. Seems they made a mistake and put him in the English Level 3 course. As much as he whined and complained and tried to charm the faculty and staff, he was told there was absolutely no way to change classes. Each class was packed full.

As usual I sat in the back row and started drawing on my notebook, scribbling _Edward and Bella Forever_ again and again. It seemed like a very childish thing to do, but as long as he was gone I needed something to occupy myself with.

I scanned the classroom as students poured in and seated themselves in their usual places. As I glanced by the door opposite to my desk, I caught a glimpse of a man so stunningly beautiful that everyone in the room stopped and stared. It was silent.

He scanned the room as well, not seeming to notice the attention he had drawn. He caught my glance and held it, looking deep into my eyes. In a moment he had hypnotized me. His sleek body gave off the impression that underneath his crisp white shirt, that he was very muscular and toned. He was tall, very tall, almost as tall as Jacob, which seemed unreal. His face was perfectly oval and his skin perfectly smooth. It was also white, chalk white. His lips were of the faintest pink, his cheekbones prominent, but not bulging, and his eyes…..his eyes were dark, pitch black, like the demons of hell. I felt as if I was looking into a hole, sinking and sinking until I couldn't get out. He smiled, displaying his pearly teeth. He was a vampire.

I was positive. I had seen enough of them to know he was one. What I didn't know was whether he was one that I wanted to get myself involved with. Was he like the Cullens or Victoria?

I dropped my gaze, glaring down at my notebook, trying to cover my face with my blanket a brown hair.

"Hello," someone growled.

I could only hear my ears pounding inside my head and my stomach flip flopping as I turned to stare into his face.

He was there, staring right at me. He kept talking as he sat down next to me, introducing himself as Andrew and then asking how I liked the class. I just stared at him, dazed and bewildered. I could see him eyeing my neck, but I ignored the suspicion, hoping that I was just imagining it.

_Edward. Why do can you hear everyone **except **me? I need you Edward. _

I kept staring into the eyes of the vampire, getting lost in their blackness that had swallowed me up. But after registering the look on my face, I could see that his expression had changed as well. He looked at me, curious, black eyes wondering, searching my face. He was suspicious and he turned tense, rigid, like Edward does when gets upset, or worse, angry.

"Hi, I'm um…Bella Swan. I really like this class. The teacher is great, but she does give a lot of um… homework," I stuttered.

"Well, nice to meet you Bella. Damn, I hate when teachers give their students a lot of homework. They think we don't have a life."

He turned forward, smiling, just as the teacher started her lecture on Shakespeare's role in modern civilization. Even so, he looked tenser than before. What had I done?

The class was a blur. I sat at my desk the whole time, staring at my unopened notebook, hardly listening to the teacher. I would feel his eyes on me.

He seemed nice. I mean, he was friendly and all, but his eyes. They were black, which meant he was hungry. Thinking of this, I laughed. The first time I meet Edward his eyes were black too, but Edward was no more dangerous than a mouse. Well, maybe he was, but that wasn't the point.

But, how did he get into the class. Weren't the classes packed full?

As the end of class approached, I looked up just in time to see Andrew scribble a note on a blank sheet of paper and drop it on my desk.

"See you Wednesday class," the teacher called.

I sprinted out of the room, after collecting the note and my notebook, faster than I thought was humanly possible for me being a klutz and all. As I was running down the hall, I slammed into a familiar body. I could tell by the scent. Thank God. Edward

"Hey, Bells. How was class?"

"Horrible."

"Why? What happened?" Alarm spread across his face.

"Nothing except you not being there," I mumbled as he started laughing and pulled me closer.

He nuzzled my neck as we strolled down the hall, hand in hand. In a minute I had forgotten all my worries. Well, not all of them.

My mind was having an internal conflict as I questioned the fact of telling Edward about Andrew or not. I was almost certain now that Andrew was harmless, but he was still a vampire. All he had done was sit next to me and ask about the class. I had nothing to worry about. But Edward, on the other hand, had a short fuse. He had a bad temper when it came to me and other guys. There was no guessing what would happen between the two of them if I told him.

I quickly decided I was going to keep this to myself. Things between us were going good right now. I didn't want to ruin it just because of something stupid, something as trivial as this.

As I sat in the lounge, I suddenly remembered the note. I snatched it from the pile of books by my feet, read it, and gasped.

_You know what I am. Tell a soul and you will regret it for the rest of your life._

"What is it Bella? What's wrong?" Edward questioned, curious by my startled reaction.

I hesitated.

"Oh, nothing."

The next day, two girls went missing on campus. Their corpses were found a day later. It was said that it looked as if they had been biten.

**A/N: **So, what do you think? I'm only going to keep writing if I get 10 reviews. ( : As some of you might know, I put a hint about what is going to happen in the rest of the story before. I got a lot of worried reviews so I decided to take it off. Don't worry, because everyone is making it seem worse than it really will be. I promise. Please don't let that stop you from reading the rest of the story.


	2. Going Hunting

**A/N**: Hello again. I have NO homework this weekend so I decided to write as much as possible. Special thanks to Makiie for editing this chapter for me. So, please read and review.

**Disclaimer:** I'd rather have he rights to Edward instead of Twilight or New Moon, but unfortunately I own neither. Stephenie Meyer does. ) :

Every day more and more bodies were found. And every one of them looked as if they had been mangled by some sort of wild animal, it was definitely not a neat business. The bodies were found with little blood left in them, and what was left was smeared around their throats, where the main puncture wounds were found.

I felt guilty because if I just told Edward no more families would have to be reported of their child's death due to Andrew. But what if Edward couldn't fight him? What if Andrew won?

I was almost certain that Andrew had a coven. Who belonged to that coven was a mystery, but I had a feeling he wasn't alone. Edward was strong and fast, but in no means could he fight off a whole coven of vampires.

And so I kept everything to myself, hoping that Andrew would move on and find a different place to feed. Eventually, he would have to. He was drawing attention, and Edward had explicitly told me that the only rule in the hierarchy of vampires was simple: _Do not expose yourself. _

Edward knew that vampires were present on campus. How else would all those students die? Unfortunately, Andrew was only in my English class, the only class Edward wasn't in and the only class I ever saw Andrew in.

In attempt to protect me, Edward never let me out of his sight, always watching over me, never leaving my side. Except for English class, the class I really needed him in.

A week had gone by, another Monday. As I lifted myself out of bed, I looked on the other side of me, expecting to see Edward. He never slept, but he would always just lie in bed with me until I awoke. But today he wasn't there.

I could hear hushed whispers downstairs. And then Alice was yelling.

"She's up," Carlisle noted to the others. Suddenly, all went quiet.

Damn stupid vampire hearing. Now that they knew I was up, I slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and headed downstairs, wary of what would cause them all to suddenly stop their conversation.

I could see that everyone was present. Edward was sitting by Carlisle on the couch, Esme in Carlisle's lap. Alice and Jasper, books opened in front of them, were sprawled together on the lounge chair. Emmett stood over Rosalie who had placed herself on a chair that she had brought in from the kitchen. It was painfully obvious that they had all switched to these positions within the last few seconds. Especially because none of them had their attention on what was in front of them, all eyes were on me.

"Sit down, Bella," Carlisle said. It wasn't an order though. Nothing he ever said reached the tone of an order.

I sat down, waiting for the news they clearly did not want to tell me.

"We know about Andrew. And his coven," Edward remarked, looking down at the floor.

I didn't have a clue of what to say. So we sat there, silent.

"How could you not tell us? How could you not tell me?" He said suddenly, looking straight into my eyes now. They looked sad and angry, but they also looked betrayed.

"I told you that we couldn't trust her. Never can, never will," Rosalie smirked in her chair. She looked genuinely happy. Despite her previous near civility towards me, Rosalie continued to dislike me profusely, and wasn't afraid to show it.

"I can explain though," I mumbled, feeling upset that they thought that I had actually betrayed them.

"Bella, dear, just tell us the truth. Why didn't you tell us?" Esme cooed. She didn't sound angry, just surprised.

"I knew what he was the moment in English class a week ago. He sat down next to me, asked about the class. He was friendly and all. But, his eyes….they were pitch black. I have never seen eyes like those, not even when you guys are hungry. He had me hypnotized, dazed. He knew that I knew the truth. So, before class ended, he gave me a note, reading _I know you know who I am. Tell a soul and you will regret it for the rest of you life._ I was scared. I didn't want to get Edward involved because I didn't know how big his coven was. I was hoping he would just go away. I was trying to protect Edward."

Alice and Esme ran over immediately, hugging me as I started to cry. Even Rosalie brought over some tissues and handed them to me as I went through them, one by one. Her earlier smirk was gone, replaced by a look of guilt that soon disappeared as everyone turned to look at her.

But she seemed not to care about all the attention she was drawing. All she said was "She was trying to protect my brother. How can I fault her for that?"

Edward leaned in, first kissing me on my forehead, then my lips, bottom then top.

"I love you," he whispered. _  
_

"I love you too," I struggled to say through sobs.

"How do you um… find him?" I asked after regaining my composure.

Emmett answered his time.

"In the woods. During the night we went hunting and we found him and his coven. They were hunting as well. Apparently they enjoy human _and_ animal blood."

"Apparently."

"Bella," Carlisle said, trying to get my attention, "he's not the kind of vampire you want to be involved with. Trust me. Stay as far away from him as possible."

"Of course."

"We're not going to school today Bella," Edward suddenly said.

"Why not?"

"We have to hunt," he said, his voice low and deep.

"But you said you just went hunting last…." Then I noticed his eyes. They were black, not my beautiful topaz.

"We didn't find enough," he growled.

There was more to it. I could tell. They were going out in attempts to find Andrew and his coven. They were going out to fight them of their land, drive them away from Forks in attempts of saving all the humans who had no idea that vampires were attending their local community college.

"Which means that you have to stay home," he snarled again.

"But why?"

"I don't want you at school by yourself without me. It's not safe."

"No offense Edward, but I can protect myself. When you left me, I was by myself for months and I was fine. Well, not fine, but manageable. I can't run away every time you're not here. I can't run away every time I'm scared."

"No. Are you crazy, Bella? There is no way I'm letting you go by yourself," he growled, causing me to jump back in fear. His anger was evident and his loss of his carefully cultivated control showed that not only was he angry, he was _furious. _Emmett began to look towards the living room, where the new TV was. The last time Edward had been this upset, Emmett's poor TV had been destroyed.

"Edward, dear, she's right," Esme cooed. Oh, how I loved Esme.

"She'll be fine. It's one day." Alice had joined in on the gang up against Edward.

"Fine," he sputtered after a good ten minutes of persuading him. "But if anything happens to her…."

**A/N**: How was it??? Please, please, please review. Even if you don't like it, just give me suggestions on how to make it better. Thanks!


	3. Come with Me

A/N: I'm so glad people actually like the story! But, being the selfish person that I am, I want more reviews! ( : Before I was more of a silent reader, rarely doing any reviews unless I absolutely loved the story. Now I see how good it feels to get reviews and see that people actually like what you are writing. So, please, please, please review even if you hate the story. I am always open to suggestions.

Oh, and just so everyone understands, Andrew does know that Bella knows he is a vampire. Why and how will be explained later in the story.

Much thanks to Makiie for editing this chapter!

Side Note: Everyone should read Waiting by Makiie (My wonderful editor!) and Always and Forever by Edward Cullen's TRUE Love. Both are very good stories.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or New Moon. Life is so unfair!

"Be safe, Bella. For me," Edward whispered in my ear as I slipped out of the car. His eyes were filled with worry, and despite his best efforts, I could hear in his voice that he was upset. He was just dropping me off at school and then was going to home. To hunt.

"I'll be fine, Edward. I love you," I said, stealing a passionate kiss on the lips and then closing the door of the car behind me.

I passed through the door of the main building, taking a left in order to get to English class. I walked slowly down the hall, my feet dragging, hoping to slip into class right before the bell rang. That way I wouldn't have to talk to Andrew.

I entered class and scanned the room, looking for Andrew. Where was he? Maybe Edward and the Cullens had already found Andrew and his coven. But, what would the outcome be? The Cullens were strong and smart when it came to fighting other vampires, but Andrew was no dummy. Half of me wanted Andrew to come to class. That way Edward wouldn't be in danger. He would be safe. The other half, the half that was scared of Andrew, was breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn't present.

Then suddenly, he walked through the doors. And like always, he drew the attention of everyone in the class. He glanced in my direction, smiling as he walked over and took a seat next to me. His teeth glistened, and I shivered involuntarily. I fought to suppress any more.

"Hey. Did you do the reading for today?" he questioned before reaching into his bag and taking out his book. "I didn't have time to do it last night. Late night with the boys, you know?" he said smirking.

_Yeah, hunting,_ I thought, trying to let my anger take over my sense of fear.

Then class was started. Just like last Monday, I sat in my seat, looking down at my unopened notebook. I could feel his eyes on me, boring into me, searching for something, searching for nothing. What was he looking for, and what could he see already?

As class was ending, I started to collect my books, hoping to make another quick dash out the door. As the teacher announced the homework for the following class, I scurried up at of my desk, heading towards the door. Unfortunately, I felt a cold hand pull me back. I turned around to look into the equally cold eyes of Andrew.

"Why don't we get something to eat," he said. His voice sounded cold and patronizing, yet soothing.

"Um….. Sorry, but Edward's waiting for me," I stuttered trying desperately not to get hypnotized by his black eyes.

"He's not here today Bella, don't lie to me. Come on. I mean I'm not particularly hungry for that kind of food," he said smiling that terrible grin of his, "but maybe you are."

I knew I didn't have a choice so I nodded in agreement. How could I be this stupid? I should have stayed home where I was safer. Edward had warned me, but I hadn't listened.

He pulled me along by the arm, swiftly moving in and out of the students mulling around the hall. I wasn't paying attention until I noticed that we had passed the student lounge where most of the food vendors were located.

_This is not good, _I thought, terrified beyond rationality.

"Andrew, stop. Where are we going? We already passed the student lounge. Andrew!" I was screaming, desperate to have someone_, anyone _hear me. He wasn't paying any attention to me as I screamed, obviously, he didn't care.

He kept walking, faster now, down the hallway. At the very end was a metal door leading to a staircase that I had never seen anyone use before. He looked around, suspicious as he opened the door. He walked down, flight after flight. There was a deafening silence, punctuated only by the clicks of my shoes on the floor and by the occasional squeak of a cold hand sliding on the railing.

I had stopped saying anything and was now frozen in shock. There was no one to hear me, anyways. Where was he taking me? Why me? Why did he want me? This had been his plan all along. All he had needed to do was get Edward out of school for one day and then he could do whatever he wanted with me. But did it all really even matter? What mattered now was that I was most likely going to die. I could only hope that Edward wouldn't go to the Volturi once more, I couldn't bare to be the cause of his ending.

Andrew looked nervous and tense, like he was expecting someone to jump out at him any minute. But there was no one here, no Edward to come and rescue me.

Finally he stopped. I think we were in the basement, but I couldn't be sure. It was too dark to tell. I could barely see Andrew who I could only feel was standing right in front of me. I could feel the chill emanating from him, so like Edward, but yet, so terribly unlike him. While Edward's chill was one that was comforting in an odd way, Andrew's was sinister, the chill of a true monster.

He pushed me hard against the wall, his hands on either side of me, breathing down my neck. I whimpered, letting out a quiet sob, waiting for the worse.

"Bella, I love you," he said, "Leave Edward, join my coven, become my mate or anyone you have ever known or loved will be gone forever. How about Charlie? Or perhaps Jacob? Or maybe, just for fun, I should try Sam and Emily, just to see them squirm. Oh, yes, Bella, I know all about them. I know _all_ about you."

A/N: So, how was it? I gladly welcome reviews of any sort. Oh, and just so no one freaks out, Andrew does not rape Bella. I promise.


	4. Leaving

A/N: OMG, I got 12 reviews for that one chapter! Great job! Sorry for the late update, I was away on a school trip for almost a week and someone -cough- Emma (Makiie) -cough- didn't get a chance to edit before we left.

Even so, tons of thanks to Emma (Makiie) for editing this and all my other chapters. Sorry for keeping you from your own stuff!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Twilight or New Moon ) :

"How…?" I questioned, not even trying to break away from Andrew. His grasp was too tight, too unbreakable. His ice cold hands formed manacles around my upper arms, refusing me any way to escape.

"I've always been there, hidden behind the shadows. The invisible vampire, you could say." He chuckled darkly at this. It was a horrible mockery of humor, for his eyes still held the cold look of iniquity and cruelness that I had grown accustomed to.

"I know about your undying love for Edward," he said, rolling his eyes, "Your werewolf Jacob, your friends, Angela, Jessica, Mike… I know all about you. Everything, every little detail. Meet me at Apartment 3A at 12 West Walk Street at 2:00. You won't want to be late," he warned, that smirking smile gracing his lips, white teeth flashing for a moment.

He very softly kissed my lips and then darted up the stairs, leaving me alone.

I immediately followed, ready to get out of the stairwell as soon as possible. I tried running up the stairs, and succeeded, except for a few falls, but none of which produced any injury. My mind was blank, shock, I realized later. All I wanted was to get out of there, that was the only task I could focus upon at that point.

When I reached the hallway, I looked around, expecting Andrew to jump out at me and wildly hoping that Edward really _was _here, ready to protect me, yet the halls were empty. I walked briskly to the front door and saw that a yellow cab was waiting outside.

"Ms. Swan," the driver called out, a little bit uncertain in his recognition, like someone who'd only been given a vague description of a person, "a Mr. Andrew told me to take you home. He's already paid for the ride."

"Um….okay," I stuttered while in the process of opening the back door. I slid in on the comfortable leather seats, a slight squeak emitting from them, and then a groan as I let my weight settle on them, staring out the window as we started to drive away.

My mind was spinning as I tried to figure out what I was going to do about the situation I had gotten myself in to. It seemed that I had two options. One was to go home and wait for Edward and the rest of the Cullens. I would tell them everything that happened and they would somehow fix it all. But what if they couldn't fix it? What if I put them in more danger? I couldn't do that to them. They were too important to me. My second option was to go and join Andrew's coven. I would be absolutely miserable, but everyone would be safe. I'd have to be a zombie again, the only reason for life being to keep everyone safe, but always taking a second glance if I saw a flash of bronze hair or the shine of a golden eye.

Without realizing it, or giving the driver any directions, I noticed that we were in the Cullen's driveway.

I quickly thanked the driver and scurried into the house. As I walked through the door, I called out "Edward! Alice! Anyone?" There was no answer. No one was home. They were still out tracking Andrew's coven.

I had already decided I was leaving. I just couldn't live with myself if anyone I loved died because of my foolishness. It was better that nobody was home. It would be easier to leave without having to see them.

I ran up the steps and into Edward and my room, quickly grabbing a suitcase from the closet and randomly throwing clothes into it. I took no notice of the clothes, trying hard not to think about the memories of shopping with Alice that all of them contained.

I couldn't concentrate; all I could think about was the fact that I was going to be changed, probably by Andrew. I would finally get my wish, but my wish wouldn't be completely fulfilled if Edward wasn't in it. The only reason I wanted to be changed was so that I could spend my whole life with Edward, forever. That would never happen now.

I finally zipped up the suitcase and sprawled out on the bed, crying, my earlier numbness of shock gone. I sat like that for twenty minutes, trying desperately to remember everything about this house, about the Cullens, about Edward before I had to leave. My mind was telling me to go before I wouldn't be able to, but my body stayed on the bed, curled up in a ball, smelling Edward's scent that covered the bedspread.

I had to go though. It was already 1:30 and I couldn't afford Edward coming home right when I was about to leave. If he came and asked me why I was upset, I wouldn't be able to deny him the truth, nor would he let me leave.

I quickly scribbled down a note to Edward explaining everything that Andrew had said except for where I was going. I pleaded for him not to come and find me. I also begged him not to go to the Volutri or he would be breaking our previous agreement. I hoped he would listen to me, I hoped he would be safe. Maybe someday he could be happy. I knew I never would be, but maybe he could.

I ran down the stairs, but not before I grabbed one of Edward's sweatshirts. A small link to him I could have.

_He could do without one sweatshirt, _I thought. I would need it more than he would anyway.

As I got to the front door I looked out to see another yellow cab.

"Andrew?" I asked the driver as I got into the cab.

"Yes ma'am. Is he your boyfriend or some such thing?"

I finally took a good look at him. He was young, about sixteen, with cropped blond hair and bright blue eyes. He had a sweet face, but he looked kind of disgusted.

"Oh, no. Definitely not," I answered and his disgusted look vanished and was replaced by a smile.

"That's good."

I sat in the cab, looking at the window into the woods, searching for Edward. I knew I wouldn't see him, but it was nice just to know that he was safe.

"Ma'am…ma'am….we're here," he said, trying to wake me from the trance that I had fallen into.

"Oh, thanks so much for the ride."

"Anytime," he said cheerfully, his voice full of sincerity. I smiled for his sake.

I closed the door behind me and walked through the front door of the apartment building. The apartment building was nice with pale blue walls and a cream white carpet running down the center of the hall. The wooden doors that lined the walls looked strong and sturdy, not the kind that can be easily broken down by well, a vampire. This did not look anything like a regular college apartment.

_Andrew must have a lot of money_, I thought, _because not just anyone could afford this. _

I walked up to the door of Apartment 3A hesitantly, waiting to face my doom. I could hear the TV blaring in the background. I knocked twice and waited. The door was opened and I looked into the face of my worse nightmare.

A/N: All I will say is… REVIEW!


	5. The Note

**UPDATED**

A/N: So, I was reading through all my chapter and decided this chapter was really poorly written. Plus, it wasn't edited by my amazing editor. So, with Makiie's help, I rewrote it. Also, I have posted the new Chapter 7. Enjoy!

**Editor's Note: **This has now been edited by me, Makiie.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or New Moon. If I did, why the hell would I be writing on **Fan** Fiction?

"Nothing, Edward. Rose and I couldn't pick up a scent or anything," Emmett said as he strolled up to me, his strides long and lazy. He obviously didn't think that this excursion was terribly important, nor did he seem to be aware of the possible danger this coven posed.

"God, where the hell are they?" I screamed, frustrated. We had been looking all day and we hadn't found a single lead about the coven. No tracks, no scent, nothing. It was as if they'd never been there. I was concerned about Bella. Somehow she was always able to find the greatest amount of trouble in the shortest amount of time. We couldn't risk the chance of this new coven interacting with her, and if they did, who knows what could happen. And even if they didn't find her today, it was invariably possible that Bella had managed to find some other sort of trouble. If it wasn't vampires, it was werewolves, and if it wasn't werewolves, well, I wouldn't put it past her to find a colony of evil leprechauns.

"Let's head home, everyone," Carlisle's announced, his tone making it evident that there would be no arguments on this matter.

'_Face it, Edward, we've found nothing after an entire day, we'll do no good just sitting around waiting.'_

Grudgingly, I agreed, and we ran home, me leading the way. As we ran, I tried to let myself relax. Bella had survived on her own before. Granted, she hadn't been associated with vampires before, but that was beside the point. I would have to have faith in her, and the burly security guards that worked there. But they couldn't stop a vampire if it was truly on a rampage. But a vampire wouldn't go on a rampage in plain view, it was breaking the code. Or would they?

As it was, my nerves had already been frazzled, but my cogitations had made them worse.

We ran quickly and soon entered the living room, the door slamming behind us. Emmett and Jasper sprawled out on the couch, flipping through the channels and finding a semi-interesting basketball game to watch. Esme and Carlisle disappeared into their room, while Rosalie went to her room and picked up the latest _Cosmopolitan. _I stood by the armrest, fidgeting, while scenarios ran through my head. I toyed with the idea of picking Bella up early, but she would be upset with me for not trusting her ability to fend for herself. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, I just didn't trust the vampires we knew were in the vicinity of her.

Rosalie read her magazines with mental comments on the articles, and the fact that she was reading _Cosmopolitan _made it far worse.

'_Hmm…maybe Emmett and I should try that…'_

Cue the mental image of my brother and sister…well, you know.

I hadn't been focusing on where Alice was, my attention was more on blocking out Rosalie's thoughts.

"Edward! Come here this instant!"

In a minute, I was by her side, the door to Bella and my bedroom slamming shut behind me. Something about her tone seemed to make me believe the worst, and my earlier thoughts hadn't helped. Her eyes were wide, and her normally pale skin seemed even paler, if it was possible. I gripped her elbow on reflex, for even though it wasn't feasible, she looked as if she might faint. Everyone had heard her scream and like me, they had all rushed to see what was wrong. The only signs of their entering were the slight 'whooshes' of air as they sped through the door.

Alice clutched a letter addressed to the_ Cullens._

"I was looking for my shirt that I lent Bella and I found this on the bed." She handed me the letter, and my hand was shaking as I took it from her. What was wrong with Bella? Why had she been home? I couldn't breath, my mind locked in that moment.

I stared at it for a minute or two, when finally Esme stepped forward, putting a cold hand on my shoulder, "Edward, dear, just read it, maybe it's not as bad as you think."

Still, I couldn't get my fingers to slip beneath the seal and open the envelope. Gently, her fingers pried the envelope from my hands, and opened it. She refrained from reading it, and only handed it to me.

'_Please know that whatever's happened, we're all here for you,'_ Esme's thoughts promised me.

Tear stains that obviously belonged to Bella had smudged the ink, making it hard to read. Slowly, I managed to get my mouth around the words, my mind purposely straying from the actual meaning behind the words.

_Dear Cullens, _

_I'm so sorry that I have to leave you. Andrew told me that he would kill the people I care about if I didn't go with him and his coven. I can't tell you where I'm going, but, please, don't try to come and find me. If anything went wrong, I couldn't bear to be the cause. Edward, please don't go to the Volturi. Maybe one day we might be able to see each other again. I love all of you so much. You have been like a second family to me. Be safe._

_Love, _

_Bella_

Esme immediately started dry sobbing into Carlisle's shoulder. Rosalie even showed some compassion with a few quiet sniffles. Jasper hugged a distraught Alice who only stared at me. Emmett reached, stunned, for the letter, as if to check that it was just some sort of joke.

All I did was stand there, looking at the letter. What had just happened? How had I lost Bella again? I couldn't do this again, I'd barely survived the last time; how could I go through this again? But most of all, why couldn't I protect Bella? Why was it that she always had to make the sacrifice? Couldn't I bare some of the burden?

"I'm so sorry Edward," Alice said, placing a hand on my shoulder, her shock wearing off. I noticed her voice still trembled, but somehow I couldn't imbue the proper sense of compassion, my own misery drowning out Alice's. I immediately shrugged off her hand, my anger bubbling up.

"Damn it Alice! Why didn't you see this coming? Isn't your _gift _to see into the future?" I spat out.

"Don't blame her," Jasper warned, stepping threateningly closer to me.

"You're right," I roared back, "it's everyone's fault. I told you all that something like this would happen, but no one listened to me!"

"Edward, dear, just calm down. We'll find Bella," Esme cooed from my side.

"We'll go out tonight. Not before," Carlisle announced to everyone, making sure I heard to last two words.

"Fine. Tonight."

A/N: REVIEW!


	6. The New Coven

**A/N: **I'm so sorry I haven't update in so long, but my editor and I have had a really busy last couple of weeks. I'll try to get into doing weekly updates again, but I can't promise anything. Enjoy!

Much thanks to Makiie for _finally _editing this chapter, but it was definitely worth the wait.

**Editor's Note: **'ello there loves, it's Makiie. Please try not to kill me for delaying the posting of this chapter, there were numerous technical and personal difficulties. In the next few days, 'The Note' will be rewritten with help from me, as I didn't get a chance to edit it for Kaitlyn.

And for those of you who keep sending me threatening PM's, I'll update something of my own this weekend.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight or New Moon.

"Victoria?" I questioned the red-headed figure standing before me. She was just as I remembered, albeit a bit cleaner, but there was still that glint of cold fury in her eye, still that look of malevolence in her grin.

"How quick you are, dear Bella," she growled, displaying her teeth and curling her lips back in a threatening manner. The gleaming white of them was unnatural, and my body instantly began to prepare to flee, even though I wasn't consciously asking it to, or maybe I was. Because, in truth, all I wanted to do was to run away screaming as I went, just like Edward had thought I would so long ago.

My voice finally found me, as the shock began to wear off. Someone had to be around, if anyone saw me or heard me, they could at least give Edward a hint to where I was.

"Help! He--" I tried to scream, but Victoria was quick to place duct tape over my mouth and drag me inside by my arms. She placed me, face down, on the floor beside the couch. The smell of the tape was overwhelming, and it was tight on my mouth, pulling it apart. For a moment I was glad this was so, because I knew I couldn't let anyone know I was here, I couldn't let Edward find me. I would not let him be hurt because of me.

Rolling over slightly, my eyes instantly picked out Andrew, who was intently playing videogames directly in front of the plasma TV. Two other vampires, each of opposite gender, also sat near the TV, on the couch, but instead of watching videogames, they were watching me. There was no civility in their eyes, no crafted façade to hide the animal that lay dormant in them, at least for now.

The girl was of average height, very slight, looking like a delicate porcelain doll. She wasn't as pale as most vampires, which meant she might be off a different racial origin. I probably wouldn't know she was a vampire if she hadn't been with the others. Her face was flawless, almost as pretty as Rose's. Her eyes were golden honey, the same color as her hair which framed her face in loose ringlets.

The boy was very tall, towering above the girl. He was ridiculously toned and muscular, reminding me a lot of Emmett. His jet black hair that made his pale face look whiter than it actually was and his eyes were topaz, just like Edward. The two of them looked about twenty years old.

For a moment, the sense of déjà vu with these two was almost too much, and my vision blurred slightly with the sudden production of tears. Shoving them back, I allowed the sense of numbness I had once felt to take over, and allow me to stay at least in a semblance of calm.

"Now, Bella, we can do this quite easily, or we can invoke some of our earlier threats," Victoria said, waking me from the trance of shock that I had fallen into yet again. "I will take this tape off your mouth if you promise to cooperate and not yell. If you do, well… you know what we can do," she sneered, again displaying that menacing smile.

I nodded my head weakly, trying not to let the images of bloodless corpses fill my thoughts. I needed answers to my questions, then I could panic.

I rolled myself upwards so that I sat up with my feet crossed in front on me on the floor, the action caused some of my hair to fall into my face, obscuring my view for a moment. A flame of red walked towards me, and I recognized Victoria as she came closer. She pulled the tape off in one easy stroke, the tape leaving some fowl smelling residue that caused some of my displaced hair to stick to my face. I winced from the pain, but didn't say a word.

"So, being the fair person that I am," she smirked, "I'll explain what you want me to, but then we must get down to business." I shuddered slightly, unable to control it.

I looked around at the three other vampires. Now all of them were paying attention to me, and their eyes frightened me, not because they were so different from the Cullen's, but because they were so alike. I couldn't take the pain I felt at knowing I'd left them high and dry, and Edward…

No. I would not think about him, he was safe now, and that was all that mattered.

"Why are you here?" I asked, trying to take my thoughts away from the dangerous land of hope.

"Oh, I knew you would ask that question since it is quite startling to see me here, isn't it? Now, when your precious, little Edward," -she let out a snarl as she said his name- "killed James I was distraught and dreadfully alone. Eventually I found Andrew and his coven, Lucia and Dimitri while I was hunting in the southern tip of Mexico, taking a break from trying to track you down. Those two are mates, but Andrew also lost his mate to another vampire. Different reasons, yet the same motive. He and the rest of the coven took me in with open arms and agreed to help me complete my plan. We immediately moved to Forks and Andrew started attending your college."

Oh God, I got it now. Andrew never had really liked me. He never wanted me as a mate. He was the trap to lure me into Victoria. And I had followed him right into it.

"I am quite surprised that you didn't tell Edward about the whole situation. I mean, what kind of girlfriend is that?" she remarked, wickedly laughing. The others smiled as well, their teeth gleaming through the dim light of the room.

"Wait," I murmured. This didn't seem right. "The Cullens met the coven while hunting. They met Andrew. They would have noticed if you were there."

"I'm insulted that you think me that stupid," she spat, eyes taking on a hard edge, "I knew I could not go hunting because of the Cullens. That is why I have had Andrew and the rest bring me what I've needed. Quite convenient I might add, though I do miss seeing my victims fade away after I viciously suck them clean." she chuckled again, her laugh entering the realm of hysteria for a moment, before she managed to contain it, "Anymore questions?"

"What are their powers? And who changed them?" There was a chance, albeit very slight, that their powers wouldn't be able to affect me, like Jane's or Edward's. If that chance was realized, I might be safe, at least for the moment, as they tried to discover why their gifts were ineffective against me.

"Andrew was changed in 1348 during the plague in Italy. Before he was changed he was an Italian peasant who had lost every member of his family in a matter of six weeks due to the plague. When he caught it he planned to die without a fight in order to be with his deceased family. He was lying in his deathbed, about to die, when a man came to him and bit him in the neck without saying a word. He quickly fell into a state of unconsciousness. When he finally woke up, the man was no where to be found. Unable to face the truth, he wandered around for years from place to place, with no purpose, with no desire. He gave up trying to believe he wasn't a vampire and started settling down. Much like Carlisle, isn't it? So much alike, yet so dreadfully different," – a mocking smile graced her lips, her teeth hidden behind them – "His is a very special gift. He can tell how a person is feeling and why they feel that way by looking straight into their eyes."

Andrew looked at me with a smirk, his eyes seeming far more dangerous than they had before.

"Andrew changed Lucia and Olivia in 1790 during the French Revolution. They were daughters of the Monsieur of Paris. They were about to be killed by the Revolutionaries when he changed them. Olivia was his mate, but like I mentioned before, she was killed by another vampire a year after he changed Dimitri in 1855 during the Crimean War. Lucia can see a person's past from the time that they were conceived. Right now she is probably living your life over again in her mind. In a couple of minutes she will know _everything _about you that I haven't already told her. The only way she can carry out her power is by being in the same room as the person, though, so it's a bit of a difficult gift to use. Dimitri was changed because of Lucia. Like your Edward, she was lonely, especially since Andrew and Olivia were together. Dimitri was changed to be her mate. Dimitri is well….different. He is immune to_ all_ vampire powers. We aren't really sure why, but since the day he was changed it had been that way."

I stared at her, my eyes wide with shock. It didn't seem real. It couldn't be real. I was going to die, I knew that much, but somehow, I couldn't get my mind to react with the proper remorse. Then again, Edward was worth it. Edward was worth my life, he always had been.

"Alright, as for my plan," Victoria said, interrupting my thoughts, "I will kill you, it _is_ only fair, but I have decided on something a little more drastic. Before I kill you, I will kill all the Cullens, one by one and_ you _will help."

"Never," I spat back, my body shaking. There was no controlling it, my mind was slowly beginning to react to the situation, though not with fear for my own situation, with fear for the Cullens.

"Oh, you will. Trust me. Lucia dear, please open the door."

Immediately, Lucia rose from her seated position and gracefully walked over to the door directly in front of me. In one swift movement, she opened the door.

"Charlie…" I whispered.

A/N: I'll be blunt about it…. Review!


	7. Alice

**A/N:** Finally, Chapter 7! Sorry, its taken so long to update, but anyways, here it is.

**Editor's Note: **The chapter 'The Note' has now been edited by me, Makiie, and I suggest rereading it as a good bit of it has changed. I apologize for a slow beta, but you try to find time to edit when you have a test every day for a week.

Oh, and Kaitlyn? I want my Snickers.

_Immediately, Lucia rose from her seated position and gracefully walked over to the door directly in front of me. In one swift movement, she opened the door._

"_Charlie…" I whispered. _

"What did you do to him?" I cried, my voice cracking with hysteria.

Charlie lay on a bed on his back, his breathing heavy and labored. His eyes were shut tightly and he made no movement, except for his chest moving up and down. I watched the rises and falls of his chest, praying desperately that it would continue.

"What's wrong with him?" I yelled at Victoria. She only watched me with satisfaction, her lips curling up into a cruel imitation of a smile.

"Just knocked out. But, we can arrange for something a little more severe if you'd like. It all depends on whether you help us or not," she said, her smile growing large, her teeth glittering as they became more exposed.

"Let him go. He's not involved," I pleaded, desperate. Please, please don't hurt him. I've tried so hard not to get him involved in all this. I wanted for him to stay out of it. But I can't protect him, I never could. I always drag others down with me, first Jacob, and now Charlie. If he died it'd be my all my fault.

All my fault…

"Bella, of course he is. Your mere relation to him makes him involved. We would've gotten your mother as well, but it was…inconvenient," she growled again, but this time it was more of a human approximation of a growl, as if she were letting out a slight bit of irritation.

"But of course, if she's what it takes, it's not impossible for us to retrieve her," she threatened, her eyes taking on a hard look.

"What do want me to do?" I whispered, defeated. It was too low for human ears, but I knew she could hear me.

"I knew you would come around. You just needed a bit of encouragement to get you there. You need… "

"I didn't say I would help you yet," I spat, interrupting her in mid-sentence. My anger seemed to have overridden my common sense. Normally, I would've kept quiet, but right now, my feelings were out of control. I longed for Jasper's calming influence, but I couldn't think about that. I couldn't think about any of them. Because I'd never see them again. Ever.

"Oh, but you will. Now, the first Cullen to go should be Alice, don't you think? I mean, she's the one who can see into the future. We can't have her telling everyone about our little plan and then having them run off. I'm not in the mood to go and track them all down. So, _you_ need to call Alice. Tell her you need to talk to her _alone_ at this apartment. Do not mention any of us are here, just you and by no means can she tell the others of our location."

"I won't do it. I can't betray my family," I pleaded. I couldn't hurt them any more. I couldn't watch them fall, one by one, in front of me. I couldn't see their eyes go blank, their eyes asking the question they couldn't speak.

_Why?_

"Then you've chosen to kill your blood father."

After trying to hold them in since I entered the apartment, my tears broke through the dam of shock. Unlike my usual self, I wasn't embarrassed that I was crying in front of four vampires, two of whom were complete strangers to me. How could I choose between my father, the biological father that I had spent the last two years living with, and the family of the man I was in love with? I couldn't live with myself if I allowed for Charlie's murder, but Edward, if he was still alive, would never forgive me for plotting against his family. My heart was torn in two, one half for my father, the other for the one I loved. The one I'd promised my soul to, the one I'd promised my future, my forever, to.

But if I was the reason for Charlie's death, how could I face forever?

My thoughts flickered to Charlie. I had seen him only last week when Edward and I had gone over for dinner. He still wasn't keen on Edward, but he was getting used to him. As long as Edward kept his mouth shut for most of the night, there were no full out fights. I remembered the way the two of them had sat on opposite sides of the couch, me in-between. I remembered the way they'd both expressed regret as their team lost, the way that for a moment, they'd been linked.

I remembered the way he'd laughed when I'd asked what an RBI was. His laugh was more of a throaty guffaw, so different from Edward's musical laugh. But it was just so right for him.

I remembered the way Charlie had kissed the top of my head as we were leaving. How he'd looked at me with such love in his eyes.

But Edward, the man who had changed my world, made it worth living in. He was my husband, my companion, my soul mate.

After all he had given me, how could I betray him and his family? Maybe, if they were lucky, Alice would anticipate the danger and they could leave before Victoria was able to get a hold of them. But what if Alice didn't? What if they fell into the trap just like Victoria anticipated they would? What if Alice did come and Victoria…killed her? Could I really watch her die? Could I really have a hand in it?

But, what if Alice was able to get us out of here?

This was the only way out I discovered after contemplating it for a few minutes. I needed to call Alice just like Victoria had said. I would pretend to be going along with the plan. When Alice came, Victoria wouldn't kill her right away. Alice was a source of information; Victoria wasn't stupid enough to dispose of her immediately. I would find a way to explain the conditions to Alice and Victoria's intentions. Alice would concoct a plan for us to escape.

I had to hope that betting on Alice this time was the right thing. Otherwise, I risked losing it all.

I looked up into the eyes of Victoria. She stared back, no sign of emotion displayed on her face. It frightened me that she could be so indifferent about people's lives. She had obviously cared for James, why else would she go on this killing spree? But how could she value this one life so highly, and disregard all these others? What was life to her?

"Okay," I said, the cruel smile instantly spreading over Victoria's face. "Under one condition. Let Charlie go right after I call Alice."

"That's fair. I hear him getting up now, anyways. Dimitri, deal with him."

Instantly I heard pounding on the door and Charlie's voice yelling profanities. Dimitri entered and it was instantly quiet.

For a moment, my heart stopped. Had I just bargained for my father's life only to have it snuffed out in a mere second?

"What is he doing to him?" I yelled, my earlier hysterics leaking in.

"Nothing. Just making him quiet so that you can make your phone call," she answered her voice flat and detached, handing me her cell phone in the process.

I picked up the phone, my hands shaking. I dialed a number I had memorized by heart, Alice's cell phone number. Whenever I'd needed her help, this was the number I called. I saw it constantly on my caller ID. And now, I was calling her to risk her life on a stupid plan that might not even work.

The phone rang twice.

"Hello."

I heard Alice's sweet voice. She was my best friend and this was how I was repaying her. Putting her in mortal danger and expecting her to do all the work. There was no equal reciprocation of work as there should be. This was the only way though, the only possible way to save Charlie, the Cullens, and myself, not that I mattered at this point.

"Alice, its Bella. Don't say my name out loud. No one can know I'm talking to you," I said at a speed no human would possible understand.

"Hi, Lindsey," she said flawlessly.

"Okay, now listen to me. I need to talk to you alone. Right now I'm at Apartment 3A at 12 West Walk Street. Meet me here as soon as possible. _Only you_. No one can know where you are going and that you're coming to see me, especially not Edward."

"I'll be right there Lindsey." Worry filled her voice. For a moment, I worried that the worry would give her away, but I knew that Alice was too good for that.

"One more thing Alice. Please don't look into the future to see what's going to happen."

"What's happening? What's wrong?"

"You'll see. But promise not to use your gift. Not before you get here."

"Okay. I trust you."

Those words stung my heart. She was the kindest person I had ever met, had opened up her arms and invited me into her family from the beginning, and I was betraying her.

'_No you're not,'_ I thought, trying to make myself feel better about the situation,_ 'you're trying to do the right thing. Everything will work out.' _

But what if it didn't?

"See you later Alice."

"Bye."


End file.
